Fantasy Football Week 7 Waiver Wire: Kickers to consider streaming
The 2025 fantasy football season has been a bizarre one for the kicker position, a development that feels as unexpected as a Hail Mary completion on fourth and long, with an unusual number of injuries creating a chaotic waiver wire scramble that separates the casual managers from the championship contenders. We've been conditioned to treat the kicker spot as an afterthought, a mere formality in our weekly lineup tinkering, but this year’s volatility is a stark reminder that every single point matters in the brutal calculus of fantasy football, much like how a single penalty kick can decide the fate of the World Cup.The quest for a weekly edge at the position is no longer a luxury; it’s a necessity, a strategic pivot that mirrors the in-game adjustments of a savvy coach like Pep Guardiola, who understands that dominating possession means nothing without the finishing touch. Drawing from the expert analysis of Justin Boone’s weekly waiver wire column, let’s dive deep into the Week 7 streaming landscape, moving beyond simple matchup data to a full analytical breakdown of each candidate.Leading our list is the Green Bay Packers' Brandon McManus, a veteran whose potential return from injury places him in a premium spot against the Arizona Cardinals inside the climate-controlled confines of a dome, an environment as predictable and favorable for a kicker as a perfectly manicured pitch is for a free-kick specialist like David Beckham. The Cardinals' defense, currently allowing the 10th-most fantasy points to the position, presents a target-rich environment for a reliable leg, and McManus’s proven track record in high-pressure situations makes him a tantalizing, high-upside play if he’s active, a move that could pay dividends similar to betting on a seasoned striker in a must-win Champions League fixture.Next, we have Michael Badgley of the Indianapolis Colts, who stepped in admirably for the injured Spencer Shrader in Week 6, calmly posting eight fantasy points against these same Cardinals and demonstrating the kind of clutch performance that defines a reliable streaming option. The Colts' upcoming matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers offers another solid schematic opportunity, as the Chargers' bend-but-don’t-break defensive tendencies often lead to opposing offenses settling for field goals, setting the stage for Badgley to be a consistent, if unspectacular, source of points, the fantasy equivalent of a midfield engine who consistently completes 95% of his passes.Then there’s Eddy Pineiro of the San Francisco 49ers, who is currently operating within what might be the perfect offensive ecosystem for a fantasy kicker, a system so efficient at moving the ball between the 20s yet curiously stalling in the red zone that it feels engineered in a lab for kicker production. The Niners' offensive prowess, juxtaposed with their recent struggles to punch the ball into the end zone, has directly resulted in Pineiro amassing a monstrous combined 35 fantasy points over the past two weeks, a statistical output that would make any fantasy manager take notice, reminiscent of a basketball player who consistently drops triple-doubles.This trend isn’t just a fluke; it’s a pattern born from offensive philosophy and execution, making Pineiro one of the most valuable assets at the position while this dynamic holds. Finally, we come to Evan McPherson of the Cincinnati Bengals, a player facing a ostensibly tough draw against the Pittsburgh Steelers' formidable defense, but one whose prospects have been fundamentally altered by the arrival of veteran quarterback Joe Flacco.While the Steelers are a tough out, Flacco’s experience and methodical style should help the Bengals’ offense penetrate the red zone with far greater frequency than in previous weeks, and any subsequent stalled drives against a stout Pittsburgh defense will inevitably lead to multiple field goal attempts, positioning McPherson for a potentially busy and profitable afternoon. In the grand chessboard of fantasy football, securing a reliable kicker is often the final, decisive move, and in a season defined by unpredictability at the position, proactively streaming based on nuanced matchups and offensive trends is not just a tactic—it's a season-defining strategy that can provide the slim margin of victory needed to secure a playoff berth.
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Jamie Larson123k2 days ago
i always thought kickers were just a joke pick tbh but my team is getting killed there this year maybe i should actually pay attention to this stuff
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Jamie Lowe123k2 days ago
wait are we really doing deep dives on kickers now this feels like peak fantasy football overthink smh
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